Dustin Brown won a doubles match on Friday at Wimbledon alongside Sebastian Baez. But beyond the surface of the match result in his first appearance at The Championships since 2019 lay plenty of pain and wondering whether the fans’ favourite would ever compete again.
“I was literally struggling to walk. I was going outside walking with my dog and my dog was looking at me like, ‘Oh, can I please go?’ My wife normally walks the dog too, so the dog was probably looking at me thinking, ‘Please can I go with mom?’” Brown recalled to ATPTour.com. “I would walk three, 400 metres, I had to take a break [because of] the nerve pain, the pulling. Then the back, everyone that has a disc issue knows when the back is not straight, you’re not sleeping and after not sleeping for a couple of days, you’re also irritated and not very nice to be around. So yeah, it was definitely very likely [I would never play again].”
Brown has struggled with back issues since February 2017, when he first felt it in Montpellier. He has had a bulged disc among other problems and has not played a full season since.
One year ago in Stuttgart, Brown was told that his disc had ruptured on the inside and the fluid inside leaked into the spinal cord, which did not allow much space for the nerve.
“It’s not a nice feeling, so that was a lot of pain. No sleeping, I was having issues walking,” Brown said. “So to be here a couple of months later, and being able to play and also play on this level and for the body to allow me to do this — because that’s the thing where sometimes you have the best ideas, best plans, but the body just says no, no further — I’m very happy that it all worked out and that I’m here now.”
The Stuttgart event took place last June. By February of this year, he realised if he was going to play he needed to slowly get on court. When he began training, he was walking, but not moving and certainly not playing with the intensity he is now.
“The past couple of months are where it’s gotten so much better,” Brown said, before pointing out issues he still struggles with. “My foot on the left side, some of my toes are still partly numb. The left foot doesn’t feel like the right foot, so your body needs to get used to that. And after a while, it kind of becomes normal. That’s a process in itself and also trusting [your body]. It was a very, very long time that I didn’t serve.”
For more than seven months, Brown did not serve. The Jamaican was unsure whether he would play again so he thought if it was not certain, there was no reason to try it. Hitting a serve is when he felt a pop last year in Stuttgart.
But then Frances Tiafoe agreed to compete with him at Roland Garros, which set in motion a return to action. Wimbledon is his fifth tournament back.
Brown has long been known as one of the most entertaining players to watch on the ATP Tour — his diving volleys were a fixture on the circuit. The 39-year-old might not be physically where he once was, but is still trying his best to enjoy it.
“That’s one of the things that I’ve tried to make a goal for the last tournaments that I’m going to play — is to try and have fun. Obviously, it’s a lot easier when you’re playing well, after being injured that long and not playing and not knowing if I could play when I started playing a couple of months ago,” Brown said. “Obviously, the tennis was not where I wanted it. I’ve been practising well after a certain time when I could after the injury, but then obviously not having any matches, nerves and stuff like that, things happen.”
One year ago, Brown visited Wimbledon on a guest credential through fellow player and friend Lucas Miedler. But the former No. 64 in the PIF ATP Rankings did not stay at SW19 long.
“It was tough to be here and not to play. So I spent a little bit of time with him, had a coffee, and I told him ‘Listen, I’ve got to go, because this is not a nice feeling’,” Brown said. “At that time, it was fresh after the injury. I didn’t know if I was going to play again and what my plans would be, and obviously, it was going to take a bunch of time just to see what my body could handle.”
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Now Brown is back and having a great time at a tournament where he made the third round twice during his career. The Jamaican stunned Rafael Nadal on Centre Court in 2015, marking one of the biggest upsets of the 21st century.
“That’s probably what I get remembered for, which is great. Not everyone gets a chance to play on that court, first of all. Then to play a match like that and win that way against such a champion, it’s very interesting,” Brown said. “Sometimes I’m on social media and a random video pops up and I was like, ‘Damn, I was not too bad!’ So it’s nice to see that and it’s nice when people remember that. Obviously, there were other special moments in my career, but obviously, that’s one of the biggest ones.”
On Thursday evening, Brown was commentating on Andy Murray’s doubles match for Amazon Prime Germany. It is fitting, as he broke onto the scene at the 2010 US Open against Murray. Brown recalled how emotional the moment was as the Scot was honoured.
“He really deserved it. Me being injured myself or having injuries, he had to get surgery and to have surgery two weeks ago and to be here and play at all, it takes a lot of dedication,” Brown said. “You also need to be able to handle a lot of pain. And I’m very happy that even though he wasn’t able to play singles, he was able to get his send off on his home court and he deserved it.”
Brown made sure to thank Baez for sticking around following a first-round singles loss to compete with him and allow for one more special ride at the All England Club. The 39-year-old admitted that it is possible this could be his final tournament, depending on if he gets into tournaments. The best-case scenario for him is to retire after next year’s Australian Open.
For now, he will focus on his team’s next match against Sebastian Ofner and Sam Weissborn.
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